I. Field of the Invention:
The present invention relates generally to containers and, more particularly, to a container for holding angiography guide wires, or other elongated, flexible medical devices, in between uses during medical procedures.
II. Description of the Prior Art
Certain medical procedures involve the insertion of a catheter into the human body, injecting a contrast material through the catheter, and then obtaining images of those portions of the body. In this fashion, various abnormalities that are in the body can be detected.
In order to insert a catheter into the appropriate portions of the body, a guide wire for the catheter must first be inserted. Initially, a needle is used to enter the body. A guide wire is then inserted through the needle into the body, after which the needle is removed. A catheter is then inserted over the guide wire, the guide wire thereby "guiding" the catheter into the appropriate position. Once the catheter is in place, the guide wire is then removed so that the contrast material can be injected though the catheter. Problems arise in finding a means for containing the guide wire between uses during each procedure.
At the present time, the handling of guide wires outside of the catheter during angiography is both awkward and inefficient. During angiography, the angiographer must insert the guide wire through the needle hub to gain catheter access, as well as insert and remove the guide wire for each artery selectively catherized. Additionally, if a guide wire remains in a catheter for prolonged periods of time (i.e., in excess of two minutes) there is danger of embolic sequelae. As a result, the angiographer must remove the guide wire, flush clean the catheter, and thereafter reinsert the guide wire. This requires even additional handling of the guide wire when difficult arteries need to be accessed. A guide wire is typically inserted and removed from a patient about a half dozen times during a four vessel cerebral angiogram. For more complex cases such as spinal angiograms, a guide wire may be inserted and removed from the patient a dozen times or more.
Each time the guide wire is removed from the patient, it is wiped clean of the adherent blood, coiled to a more manageable size, and stored either by wrapping the loose end of the guide wire around the coil, or placing a weighted object on the coiled guide wire to prevent it from uncoiling or "springing open." Each time the guide wire is removed from the catheter, it comes in contact with air, allowing residual adherent blood to dry, harden, and form a potential embolic nidus. Furthermore, even though a guide wire may be carefully wiped, a certain amount of residual blood will always remain on the surface of the guide wire. An additional problem is that the unstable guide wire can become contaminated by falling onto the floor or coming into contact with an unclean surface in between uses. When this happens, the contaminated guide wire must be discarded, and replaced by a sterile guide wire.
A further problem with the present system is that after each time the guide wire is removed from the catheter, an angiographer must use both hands to close the catheter valve so as to prevent the backflow of blood from the catheter. Since both hands must be used to close the catheter valve, it is exceedingly difficult for one person to also wipe, coil, and find a suitable resting spot for the guide wire. When the guide wire is next needed, it must be carefully retrieved and unwrapped, so that it does not "spring open." When using a guide wire with a hydrophilic coating, (particularly useful for reaching difficult and tortuous arteries), there is an additional step of moistening the guide wire which must be done prior to each insertion.